SHAH ALAM – A total of 1,020 out of 36,428 secondary school students in Selangor have shown early signs of being at high risk for depression, the Selangor State Legislative Assembly was told today.
State Public Health and Environment Committee chairman, Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the students were identified through the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), making up 2.8 per cent of those screened.
She said the findings, based on the Minda Sihat (Healthy Mind) Mental Health Screening Analysis for the 2024/2025 school session, indicated that overall psychosocial behavior among students remains under control.
“To address mental health concerns, intervention programmes have been implemented and expanded to primary schools, especially for Year 5 and Year 6 students. The goal is to raise early awareness about mental health and build emotional resilience,” she said.
The interventions focus on emotional and behavioral development, early prevention activities, and capacity-building for school guidance and counselling teachers.
These include workshops on mental health strategies such as relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, physical activities, as well as shoulder and neck massages.
Jamaliah was responding to a question from Azmizam Zaman Huri (PH–Port Klang), who had asked what immediate measures were being taken by the Selangor Education Department (JPN) to address depression and anxiety among students in the 2024/2025 session.
She added that, in addition to general interventions, Selangor JPN is also running the Healthy Mind programme along with specialised modules. These cover counseling sessions, emotional awareness, coping skills, 10B stress management, breathing techniques, mindfulness, anger management, problem-solving, positive thinking, and effective communication.
“These initiatives serve as early preventive measures and aim to strengthen students’ mental well-being from the primary level,” she said. – July 7, 2025